Prompt: Riley and Lucas playing basketball
Title: Jump Shot
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"You know, your feet are really dragging there Lucas. You might wanna pick it up if you want the slightest chance of winning," Riley dribbled the ball down the court, glancing back at Lucas as he followed closely behind her.
"That's pretty big talk for a girl who can't even remember to tie her shoes before stepping onto the court," Lucas teased, fully aware that both of her shoes were, in fact, completely tied.
"Huh?" Riley glanced down at her shoes. The second her eyes disconnected from the court in front of her, her feet tangled together and she went flying forward.
Lucas stole the basketball the second she hit the ground, and made a play for the basket. The ball went in easily, and Lucas raised his fists in the air, feeling extremely proud of himself.
"Whose feet are dragging now?" Lucas taunted, smirking at Riley as she scrambled to stand on her feet.
"Yeah, yeah. I bet you feel real proud of yourself for making the clumsy girl trip and fall. Well I got news for ya Lucas, I fall six times a day, just like this. I am unfazed. Let's go again," Riley brushed off her knees, and got into position.
"Okay, now you're talkin'," Lucas raised his eyebrows and smiled slyly. "But you're still going down."
Lucas dribbled the ball, moving fast and effortlessly to the other side of the court. However, as fast as Lucas was moving, Riley was even faster. Call it adrenaline, or the unhinged will to win, but a force took over her then that caused her to become much more aggressive than she had ever been before. Riley lunged for the ball, successfully stealing it from Lucas' grip. As she went to make her jump shot, Riley's elbow connected with Lucas' nose, causing him to stumble backwards, grasping at his nose in pain.
"Yes! In your face!" Riley cheered as the ball swooshed into the basket. Wondering why Lucas was not next to her any longer, she spun around to see a bleeding Lucas holding his nose and squinting up at the ceiling. "Oh no!"
"Guess you meant, literally in your face, huh?" Lucas joked, attempting to show her that he wasn't in as much pain as he truly was.
"Oh god, Lucas I am so sorry!" Riley ran over to him, grabbing his arm and leaning in close to inspect the damage.
"Guess you weren't kidding when you said you got really competitive when you played basketball."
"Playing it, watching it - pretty much anything involving basketball makes me a little... intense," Riley gently touched the bridge of his nose and he winced at her touch.
"Oh I remember," Lucas assured her, referring to the long-winded rant she went on about the Knicks a few years ago.
"Here, I think I have some tissues in my backpack," Riley led Lucas over to the bench where they had placed their things before they had started playing.
"I'm fine, Riley. Really. It's not that bad," Lucas tried to convince her as she held a tissue to his nose.
"I feel terrible," Riley sat back on the bench and tucked her hair behind her ear. "See, I told you I was clumsy. I should just wear a caution sign around my neck that says - 'Super Klutz - May cause severe damage to the people around her."
"No, come on. It's one of the things I love most about you," Lucas looked over at her and placed his hand on top of hers.
"Yeah right," Riley blushed, shifting nervously in her seat.
"No, really. I mean, don't get me wrong I don't like when you fall and hurt yourself or anything. And I could deal without the blood," he gestured to his nose and smiled. "But it's what makes you... Riley. And I wouldn't change that for the world," Lucas declared, smiling at her through the tissues.
Riley examined Lucas' expression carefully, trying to find any sign that he was making a joke. She couldn't find one.
"We should probably take you to the hospital," Riley suggested, already grabbing her backpack and water bottle from the bench.
"Yeah, okay," Lucas grabbed his phone and wallet with one hand, and clutched the tissue to his nose with the other. "But just so you know, I was totally winning before you took me out with that elbow."
"Oh, please did you not see my footwork as I grabbed the ball from your hands, it was completely-"
Lucas didn't let her finish. All in one quick motion, he grabbed her hand and spun her into his chest, intending for his lips to meet hers. Instead, as fate would have it, their noses collided with an uncomfortable "bang" and both Lucas and Riley grabbed their noses in pain.
"Ow," Lucas cried, not even attempting to hide his pain anymore.
"Ah, okay, hospital, let's go!" Riley grabbed his hand and pulled him forward through the gymnasium doors.
As they made their way to the emergency room, Riley was already planning her strategy for winning their next game, and Lucas was planning his strategy for how he was going to kiss her again. Hopefully this time without any injuries.
